Theater

Maryland's Motion Picture Theaters

Since movies were first exhibited in the late 19th century, Maryland has been home to hundreds of theaters. Some of these theaters were built for movies, but others were traditional theaters, academies of music, lodge halls, and even town halls. This volume illustrates the development of movie theaters throughout Maryland with historic photographs from the author's extensive collection as well as from the collections of several historical societies, libraries, and individuals. Contemporary theaters have not been neglected; as the average life span of a movie theater is 25 years or fewer, these theaters may vanish almost overnight. This has been the fate of almost all of the theaters built in the 1960s and the multiplexes built between 1964 and 1990. Readers can relive the nostalgia of past trips to the movies as they explore the pages of this book.

The St. Petersburg Imperial Theaters

The opulent St. Petersburg Imperial Theaters were subsidized and administered by the Russian court from the eighteenth century until the collapse of the tsarist order in 1917. This close association raises many questions about the uses of these theaters and where their loyalties lay in the complex shifting power structure of early twentieth century Russia. This history begins in 1900 with the theater flourishing but undergoing change, then chronicles the impact of war and revolution, as well as audience and administration, leading up to the effective re-establishment of state control over the theaters by the Bolsheviks in 1920. While the theaters were often allied with the forces of change, their grandeur harked back to the age of the tsars, creating an irony that is explored here in depth. Photographs and diagrams of the theaters are included, along with photographs of the central historical figures, and contemporary cartoons referring to the theaters.

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